ICE AGENTS, PROTESTERS CLASH IN FREDERICK NEIGHBORHOOD: Federal immigration agents violently clashed with protesters in Frederick on Friday night, using their vehicles to clear sidewalks and dragging protesters from the front porch of a home they attempted to enter, city officials said. Sara Ruberg/The Baltimore Banner.
- From an earlier article: Residents of a quiet Frederick neighborhood are watching as U.S. ICE vehicles have sat outside their homes for more than 36 hours — without knowing why. The vehicles arrived around 6 a.m. Thursday near the Taskers Chance area, according to City Council member Katie Nash. It is unclear whether ICE is looking for a specific person or conducting an operation, or why agents have remained in the neighborhood for so long. Sara Ruberg/The Baltimore Banner.
- ICE agents made a vehicle stop Thursday morning that targeted a man the agency called a “criminal illegal alien.” ICE said the man fled from the stop but did not share any additional information about the man or the attempt to apprehend him in their statement to The Frederick News-Post on Friday. Joseph DeBell/Frederick News Post and Katelynn Winebrenner/ Capital News Service in The Carroll County Times.
MOORE PUTS HIS MONEY TOWARD OUSTING REPUBLICANS FROM ASSEMBLY: Maryland Democrats are targeting nearly a dozen Republican-held seats across the state this November, with Gov. Wes Moore putting his considerable campaign resources behind the effort — a move that could add to their existing supermajorities in both chambers of the General Assembly and grow their influence in local offices. The campaign is eyeing more than 10 Republican-held seats. Katharine Wilson/The Baltimore Sun.
MOORE’s CAMPAIGN WAR CHEST DETAILED: Even though most political observers in Maryland view Gov. Wes Moore’s path to reelection as a cakewalk, the Moore campaign is still raising — and spending — cash like it’s going out of style. A prolific fundraiser, Moore raked in $1.7 million from June through early August and has $6.5 million in the bank, according to state campaign finance reports. Yet over that same time, his campaign spent $1.7 million, with year-to-date totals of about $3.7 million. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
AT LEAST 59 HAVE DIED FROM HEAT SINCE MAY: At least 59 people have died because of complications from heat since the start of May, according to the health department — a sharp jump from the 36 reported heat deaths last year, which was the state’s deadliest year for heat in over a decade. The Maryland health department reports heat deaths from May to September going back to 2012. Adam Willis/The Baltimore Banner.
MARYLAND OPENS CHILD WELFARE RECORDS TO SOME YOUTH PROGRAMS: Starting Oct. 1, A new state law will allow coaches, team administrators and managers of youth sports programs to access certain child welfare records when deciding who should be allowed to work or volunteer with children — potentially revealing findings of abuse or neglect that never resulted in a criminal conviction. But the law has significant limits. Brian Carlton and Natalie Jones/The Baltimore Sun.
REPEAT OFFENDER REGISTRY SOUGHT FOR SQUATTERS: Gov. Wes Moore signed legislation in May that, effective Oct. 1, will make creating a counterfeit residential lease with intent to defraud a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.But the state still has no reliable way for the next officer, listing agent or neighbor to know whether the alleged squatter has been there before. The alleged repeat offenses outlined in police documents have sparked a call for the General Assembly to establish a repeat squatter offender registry. Gary Collins/The Baltimore Sun.
GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL COX BLASTS MOORE OVER B’MORE CRIME: Concerns about crime and safety are taking center stage as Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox brings his campaign to Baltimore neighborhoods. Cox walked through the city, stopping at two locations that have recently experienced criminal activity. Cox used the visit to highlight what he described as Gov. Wes Moore’s failure to address Baltimore’s challenges. “Baltimore City was left behind – and Wes Moore, where is he?” Cox said. Cassidie Stevens/WBFF-News.
BALTIMORE COULD END YEAR WITH LOWEST HOMICIDE RATE IN 50 YEARS: Baltimore is on pace to record fewer homicides this year than it did during its record-low 2025 — and could finish 2026 with its lowest homicide rate in nearly five decades, according to a Baltimore Sun analysis of census and police department data. Adam Bednar/The Baltimore Sun.
WHAT THIRD PARTY CANDIDATES MADE IT ON THE BALLOT? Sam Husseini’s name will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot as a Green Party candidate for Maryland’s 4th District seat in Congress, after state election officials certified his candidacy this week. It wasn’t easy. Like the handful of other third-party candidates whose candidacies were accepted Monday, Husseini had to overcome a “huge hurdle” to get on the general election ballot, that candidates in the two major parties don’t have to deal with. And he will continue to deal with challenges that include limited campaign funds, lack of exposure and scant party support. Pera Onal/Maryland Matters.
CROWD SUPPORTS BETHESDA OLYMPIAN IN REFLECTING POOL INCIDENT: Chants of “Trumped up charges!” and “Free Davey Hearn!” filled the air outside a courthouse in Washington, D.C., on Friday afternoon, where dozens of people gathered to support the Bethesda resident and former U.S. Olympic canoeist who the federal government accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The rally was in advance of a hearing that day in which Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman listened to arguments about whether Hearn’s charges should be dismissed with or without prejudice. Ceoli Jacoby/Bethesda Today.
BA CO CROWD TO PLANNERS: NIX LARGE DATA CENTERS: An overflow crowd sent the Baltimore County Planning Board a clear message Thursday night: They don’t want large data centers in the county. The board is considering a proposed plan on how the county should regulate data centers. Before the hearing about three dozen protesters gathered outside the board’s office. John Lee/WYPR-FM.
STATE ORDERS CHANGE TO HISTORIC SITE SUBLEASING POLICY: The nonprofit preserving Maryland’s oldest mill village and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources have maintained a unique stewardship agreement over the property for decades. Now, the DNR says The Friends of Jerusalem Mill must stop subleasing state-owned housing to private, unvetted residents, in keeping with an updated state policy that enforces stricter controls for who can live in publicly owned properties. Luke Kaiser/The Baltimore Sun.
- Over the past 40 years, the volunteer-run nonprofit has restored the miller’s house, the mansion, the general store, the blacksmith shop and one of Maryland’s last operational covered bridges. On weekend afternoons year-round, the organization’s volunteers dress in period attire and demonstrate to visitors what life was like during that early industrial era. Olivia Bensimon/The Baltimore Banner.
FREDERICK CITY CRIME DOWN 17%: Crime within the city of Frederick is down 17% in July when compared to the same time last year. That’s according to Mayor Michael O’Connor, who announced it during his state of the city address Wednesday. Nathanael Miller/WYPR-FM.
COPPIN STATE PROGRAM HELPS EMPLOYEES PURCHASE HOMES LOCALLY: California natives Matthew and Gilliann Kenerly might never have bought their Reservoir Hill home without a $50,000 down payment from their employer: Coppin State University. The couple, who both work in the West Baltimore university’s writing center, took advantage of one of Maryland’s most generous live-where-you-work incentives. Ellie Wolfe and Hallie Miller/The Baltimore Banner.
